Besotten - Eye of the Monolithicrypt

Labels: Transcending Obscurity Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 06 Nov 2026

Tracklist:

1. Mist of Decay

2. Bathed in Insufferable Light

3. Cruentation

4. Storming the Cerebral Citadel

5. Bloodcairn

It's been a while since I have covered a bandcamp listening party, but after receiving an invite to listen to the debut album from US death/doom band Besotten, I couldn't say no. Following their 2022 demo In Filth It Will Be Bound and the 2024 Abyssal Synodality split release with fellow Portland, Oregon black/death metallers Funerelic, Besotten present Eye of the Monolithicrypt via Transcending Obscurity Records. 

Fireworks are going off around me this evening and it feels like completely the right time to be listening to this beast of an album. Opener ‘Mist of Decay’ starts with some proper heavy death metal riffs/bass, mid-paced old-school percussion and similarly disgusting vocals. 2026 has been a hell of a year for gnarly death metal and this just adds to the mix straight away. 

After that opener, ‘Bathed in Insufferable Light’ takes on a different, more expansive form. I’m not saying it’s prog or ambient or anything, but it’s got a huge essence of doom and unexpected experimentation going on. I say that like I’m an expert or something, when in truth I’m just trying to describe what I’m hearing. What I’m hearing is epic so far!

‘Cruentation’ delivers a more quintessential death metal sound, with kick-drum madness and screaming solos aplenty early on. That death metal sound is more than matched by Besotten’s doom influence, which grabs the headlines as the album goes on.

I can’t expect to make it through this record without some grinding intensity and it’s delivered in spades during ‘Storming the Cerebral Citadel’, as the percussion demonstrates early on. It’s not too long though before they revert back to doom-like territory for at least a few moments, during what is the briefest song on Eye of the Monolithicrypt.

Album closer ‘Bloodcairn’ is where that doom influence is fully realised, albeit with a heap of very subtle melody and obviously, some ridiculously fast drumming (because every band likes to play tricks on me!). Jokes aside though, this is a mammoth song that comes complete with a sick guitar solo from Leon Del Muerte, who engineered the guitars/vocals here, and mixed/mastered the album. The drum engineering was done by Charlie Koryn too.

Given how the current death/doom scene is literally bursting at the seams, Besotten’s trio of Andy Osborn (drums), Patrick Sinn-Movilla (guitars & synths) and Garth Purkett (vocals & bass) have put together an album that’s got to be up there come AOTY time.

You can stream and purchase the album on all formats (as well as merch) from Besotten's bandcamp page below:-

Besotten Instagram - @besottenwithdeath

Physical copies can also be purchased from Transcending Obscurity Records via their webstore below:-

https://tometal.com

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords